Comparisons in phytochemical components and in vitro digestion properties of corresponding peels, flesh and seeds separated from two blueberry cultivars.

Highbush blueberries (HB) and rabbiteye blueberries (RB) were separated into peels, flesh, and seeds to assess the compositions of nutriment, anthocyanins, soluble sugars and fatty acids, and the in vitro digesting abilities. Total phenolics contents (TPC) of 51-56 mg GAE/g DW were found in blueberry peels. Compared with HB peels, RB peels showed much higher TPC, but only contained 35 phenolics and lacked peonidin-3-O-rutinoside. Glucose, fructose, and sucrose were all present in HB and RB, but RB flesh had a higher acid-sugar ratio. Unsaturated fatty acid concentrations in HB and RB seeds were comparable (26.65 and 26.43 mg/g, respectively). However, HB seeds have 35 fatty acids, but RB seeds lacked cis-4,7,10,13,16,19-docosahexaenoic acid and cis-10-pentadecenoic acid. The in vitro digestion test showed that the whole fruit/peels/flesh of RB had a higher recovery and bioavailability index of phenolics and anthocyanins. Therefore, the reuse of blueberry pomace needs to be emphasized. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-023-01326-w.

Ginsenoside Rg5 Improves Sleep by Regulating Energy Metabolism in Sleep-Deprived Rats.

Sleep deprivation (SD) has become a universal social problem. There is a causal relationship between SD and energy metabolism disorder. Phytochemicals have been demonstrated to have excellent sleep-promoting effects, and studies have shown that ginsenoside Rg5 (Rg5) exerts sedative and hypnotic effects. The present study aimed to investigate the role of Rg5 in regulating energy metabolism and explore the potential mechanism of improving sleep. Sleep-deprived rats were randomly divided into a control group (Ctrl), SD model group (SD), Rg5 group (GRg5), and melatonin group (MT). Sleep-deprived model rats were generated by housing rats in an SD box for 4 weeks. The Ctrl and SD groups were given equal volumes of saline. The Rg5 groups were given 25[Formula: see text]mg/kg Rg5 or 50[Formula: see text]mg/kg Rg5, and the MT group was given 0.27[Formula: see text]g/kg MT. A Western blot analysis and ELISA were used to detect the metabolic levels, mitochondrial functional proteins, AMPK pathway proteins, clock-related proteins, adenosine receptors, and neurotransmitter receptors. The results showed that Rg5 corrected abnormal glucose and lipid metabolism as well as improved ATP levels. In addition, Rg5 alleviated mitochondrial structural damage and improved the expression of proteins involved in mitochondrial biosynthesis, fission, and fusion. Moreover, Rg5 improved the expression of AMPK/PGC-1/Nrf-1 pathway proteins, regulated mitochondrial biological functions, and affected the rhythm characteristics of circadian clock-related proteins. Further, Rg5 improved the expression of A1R and A[Formula: see text]R as well as regulated the expression levels of GABAA1[Formula: see text] and mGluR5 to improve sleep in SD rats.

Response of microbial community structure to chromium contamination in Panax ginseng-growing soil.

Chromium (Cr) contamination in soil poses a serious security risk for the development of medicine and food with ginseng as the raw material. Microbiome are critical players in the functioning and service of soil ecosystems, but their feedback to Cr-contaminated ginseng growth is still poorly understood. To study this hypothesis, we evaluated the effects of microbiome and different Cr exposure on the soil microbial community using Illumina HiSeq high-throughput sequencing. Our results indicated that 2467 OTUs and 1785 OTUs were obtained in 16S and ITS1 based on 97% sequence similarity, respectively. Bacterial and fungal diversity were affected significantly in Cr-contaminated soil. Besides, Cr contamination significantly changed the composition of the soil bacterial and fungal communities, and some biomarkers were identified in the different classification level of the different Cr-contaminated treatments using LEfSe. Finally, a heatmap of Spearman's rank correlation coefficients and canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) indicated that Chloroflexi, Gemmatimonadetes, Acidobacteria, Verrucomicobia, and Parcubacteria in phylum level and Acidimicrobiia, Gemmatimonadetes, and Deltaproteobacteria in class level were positively correlated with AK, AP, and NO3--N (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01), but negatively correlated with total Cr and available Cr (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01). Similarly, in the fungal community, Tubaria, Mortierellaceae, and Rhizophagus in the phylum level and Glomeromycetes, Agaricomycetes, and Exobasidiomycetes in the class level were positively correlated with AK, AP, and NO3--N (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01), but negatively correlated with total Cr and available Cr (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01). Our findings provide new insight into the effects of Cr contamination on the microbial communities in ginseng-growing soil.

Effects of cadmium contamination on bacterial and fungal communities in Panax ginseng-growing soil.

BACKGROUND: Cadmium (Cd) contamination in soil poses a serious safety risk for the development of medicine and food with ginseng as the raw material. Microorganisms are key players in the functioning and service of soil ecosystems, but the effects of Cd-contaminated ginseng growth on these microorganisms is still poorly understood. To study this hypothesis, we evaluated the effects of microorganisms and Cd (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 5.0, and 10.0 mg kg-1 of Cd) exposure on the soil microbial community using Illumina HiSeq high-throughput sequencing. RESULTS: Our results indicated that Cd-contaminated soil affected the soil microbial diversity and composition, and bacterial diversity was affected more than fungal diversity in Cd-contaminated soil, especially according to Shannon indices. The abundance of the soil microbial community decreased and the composition changed according to the relative abundances at the phylum level, including those of Saccharibacteria and Gemmatimonadetes in bacteria and Mortierellomycota in fungi. The LEfSe algorithm was used to identify active biomarkers, and 45 differentially abundant bacterial taxonomic clades and 16 differentially abundant fungal taxonomic clades were identified with LDA scores higher than 4.0. Finally, a heatmap of Spearman's rank correlation coefficients and canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) indicated that some key biomarkers, Arenimonas, Xanthomonadales, Nitrosomonadaceae, Methylophilales, Caulobacterales, Aeromicrobium, Chitinophagaceae, Acidimicrobiales, Nocardioidaceae, Propionibacteriales, Frankiales, and Gemmatimonadaceae, were positively correlated with the total and available Cd (p<0.05) but negatively correlated with AK, AP, and pH (p<0.05) in the bacterial community. Similarly, in the fungal community, Tubaria, Mortierellaceae, and Rhizophagus were positively correlated with the total and available Cd but negatively correlated with AK, AP, TK, and pH. CONCLUSION: Cd contamination significantly affected microbial diversity and composition in ginseng-growing soil. Our findings provide new insight into the effects of Cd contamination on the microbial communities in ginseng-growing soil.

Effects of potassium fulvic acid and potassium humate on microbial biodiversity in bulk soil and rhizosphere soil of Panax ginseng.

Potassium fulvic acid (BSFA) and potassium humate (KHM), as organic fertilizers, can improve soil structure, increase soil nutrient levels and prevent plant diseases. However, knowledge is limited regarding how BSFA and KHM influence soil microbial communities and the interrelationships between community members associated with Panax ginseng. Soil pH and nutrient content increased significantly as a result of the addition of BSFA and KHM. The pH, NH4+-N, NO3--N, AP and AK increased by 1.72 %-5.55 %, 70.09 %-108.39 %, 35.38 %-216.20 %, 1.21 %-14.19 % and 3.40 %-5.94 %, respectively, in the BSFA and KHM treatments. The soil nutrient increase may be related to Micrococcaceae and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). The structure of the microbial community also changed radically from that of the control group, and Chloroflexi (2.69 %-3.15 %), Actinobacteria (4.33 %-7.53 %) and Acidobacteria (9.44 %-11.62 %) were the dominant microorganisms at the phylum level in bacteria. In contrast, the dominant fungi at the phylum level were Ascomycota (77.39 %-78.08 %), Glomeromycota (0.36 %-2.68), Olpidiomycota (0.02 %-3.78 %) and Basidiomycota (0.80 %-1.17 %). Fusarium oxysporum and Ascomycota were biomarkers for BSFA and KHM, which may be related to pathogenic bacteria. Network analysis revealed that the association among members of the soil microbial community was more positive than negative following application of KHM, and more positive (62.5 %) than negative (37.5 %) correlations were observed between bacteria, whereas the fungal community exhibited more positive (97.3 %) than negative (2.7 %) correlations. PICRUST predicted the microbial function of adding KHM and BSFA to the soil, and these pathways mainly belong to the degradation and metabolism of organic matter, saprophytic organisms and plant pathogens. In summary, our study demonstrated that the addition of BSFA and KHM increased the nutrients in the ginseng soil and reshaped the microbial function in soils, providing a theoretical foundation for soil improvement and biological control of ginseng diseases. However, due to the limitations of greenhouse cultivation, additional long-term experiments on farmland with different climate changes are recommended.

Corrigendum to "Effects of Raphani Semen on anti-fatigue and pharmacokinetics of Panax ginseng " Chinese Herbal Medicines 11 2019 308-313.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.chmed.2019.05.001.].

Silicon application and related changes in soil bacterial community dynamics reduced ginseng black spot incidence in Panax ginseng in a short-term study.

BACKGROUND: This study analyzed the effect of silicon (Si) application on the occurrence of ginseng black spot caused by Alternaria panax. We explored the differences in soil physical and chemical factors and microbial community structure following Si application as well as the key factors that affected the occurrence of ginseng black spot in soil. Potted Panax ginseng plants were used to assess the effect of Si treatment on ginseng black spot. Soil physical and chemical properties were comprehensively analyzed. Bacterial communities were analyzed using Illumina HiSeq sequencing targeting the 16S rRNA gene. RESULTS: After inoculation with A. panax, the morbidity (and morbidity index) of ginseng with and without Si was 52% (46) and 83% (77), respectively. Soil physical and chemical analysis showed that under the ginseng black spot inoculation, bacterial communities were mainly affected by pH and available potassium, followed by ammonium nitrogen and available Si. NMDS and PLS-DA analyses and the heat maps of relative abundance revealed that Si application elevated the resistance of ginseng black spot as regulated by the abundance and diversity of bacterial flora in rhizosphere soils. Heatmap analysis at the genus level revealed that A. panax + Si inoculations significantly increased the soil community abundance of Sandaracinus, Polycyclovorans, Hirschia, Haliangium, Nitrospira, Saccharothrix, Aeromicrobium, Luteimonas, and Rubellimicrobium and led to a bacterial community structure with relative abundances that were significantly similar to that of untreated soil. CONCLUSIONS: Short-term Si application also significantly regulated the structural impact on soil microorganisms caused by ginseng black spot. Our findings indicated that Si applications may possibly be used in the prevention and treatment of ginseng black spot.

Neuroprotective Effects of Red Ginseng Saponins in Scopolamine-Treated Rats and Activity Screening Based on Pharmacokinetics.

Ginseng has been used to alleviate age-related dementia and memory deterioration for thousands of years. This study investigated the protective effect of red ginseng saponins against scopolamine-induced cerebral injury. Meanwhile, pharmacokinetics of ginsenosides in normal and scopolamine-treated rats were compared. After scopolamine injection, glutathione, catalase and superoxide dismutase levels were significantly decreased when compared with control group. Compared with SA group, pretreatment of rats with red ginseng saponins could increase glutathione, catalase and superoxide dismutase level. Treatment with red ginseng saponins significantly decreased malondialdehyde level. In the pharmacokinetic analysis, a pattern recognition analysis method was used to investigate the pharmacokinetics of the absorbed compounds in blood. The pharmacokinetic parameters of Rg1, Rg2, Rh3, Rg5 and Rk1 in model group had higher area under the curve (AUC), mean residence time (MRT) and peak plasma concentration (Cmax) values; area under the curve (AUC) values and peak plasma concentration (Cmax) of model group was significantly different from that of normal group (p < 0.05). The Cmax value of Rk3, Rh1, Rh2 and Rh4 in model group was higher than normal group, but their AUC values were not significantly different. There was no significantly difference in time at Cmax (Tmax), AUC and Cmax values of Rb1, Rb2 Re, Rc, Rd and Rf between the model and normal group. 16 ginsenosides were grouped into three separate clusters according to principal component analysis (PCA) score plot based on pharmacokinetic data. The results suggested red ginseng saponins have significant protective effect against scopolamine-induced memory deficit and scopolamine-induced rats could lead to the changes of pharmacokinetic behaviors of ginsenosides.